(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa local governments would not be able to have citizen police review boards under legislation passed by the Iowa Senate 37-9 Monday. Senate File 311 prohibits cities with a civil service commission — any city with a population over 8,000 — from adopting or establishing citizens’ boards that review the conduct of law enforcement officers. Currently, five cities in Iowa have citizens’ police review boards: Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Dubuque, Iowa City and University Heights. The legislation was amended to have an enactment day of Aug. 16, 2025, if signed into law, which lawmakers said would give localities more time to comply with the measure.

Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, said cities already have bodies in charge of reviewing police actions through civil service commissions. These panels are in charge of hiring, disciplining, and firing city employees including police officers. Webster said when there are issues where a police officer’s actions are under question, there is duplication happening with citizens’ boards, as the larger civil service commission will also be reviewing the case. He also said in many situations, police officers cannot legally present their argument to this board. “These review boards have the ability to talk about officers, worry about what happened on a particular case,” Webster said. “That officer, because of his legal requirements, can’t come in there and defend himself in any way, shape or form. That’s not what the state’s about. That’s not what this country is about. … When they’re going to have to go up against another trial, to an extent, inside of civil service, there is no reason for them to spill all of their defense in front of a civilian review board.”

But Democrats, including Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said the measure was “yet another in a seemingly unending stream of intrusions on local control” in allowing local governments to decide the best approach to police oversight in their communities. He said as a former city council member in Ames, he understood the importance of these local government entities in building trust between a community and law enforcement — and that these city boards were a way to bridge the gap between people with problems or differing views on law enforcement decisions. “If you believe in continuous improvement, if you believe in quality control at all, you know that (the solution is) communication about these problems, building … understanding between members of the community, as well as understanding and appreciation for, and trust of, the police department,” he said. Webster said he also supported a return to “community policing,” and that removing police review boards was necessary to do that and allow police officers to more fully participate, pointing to events like an officer going to an ice cream social. He also said concerns about opinions and voices of community members not being heard with the removal of police review boards could be addressed by adding these members to a city’s civil service commission.

The legislation also makes some changes to city civil service commissions, including raising the number of people on these commissions from a minimum of three members to having between five to seven members. It would require cities to hire outside counsel or attorneys when disputes between the city council and civil service commission involve a conflict of interest, and states that attorneys who have represented the commission, including a city attorney or assistant city attorney, cannot represent the city or its employees in appeals before the civil service board. While current law already allows for civil service commissions’ decisions to be appealed in court, the bill would allow for a trial de novo — meaning a case that would create a fresh determination of evidence and law without reference to previous cases — at the district court level.

Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner said the bill “overly complicates a process that’s already taking place in in most communities,” saying this provision would functionally duplicate the attorney fees, discovery and presentation of evidence for issues that have already had substantial time and resources put into the case in court. Webster said ensuring police are given due process in these instances is necessary to protect law enforcement officers. He said citizens’ review boards in particular are a concern because they are used as a political cudgel against police, linking these city government bodies to the “defund the police” movement that grew in popularity during the 2020 protests after the killing of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer.

The measure moves to the House for further consideration. The Senate bill’s companion, House File 641, is available for floor debate.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Nebraska was arrested late Monday evening in Red Oak. According to the Red Oak Police Department, 27-year-old Gage Michael Dixon, of Plattsmouth, NE, was arrested at around 7:20-p.m. in the 800 block of N. 4th Street, on an active Montgomery County warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree. Gage was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has voted to make indoor tanning bed businesses off limits for minors — unless the teenager’s parent provides written permission in person. Representative Hans Wilz of Ottumwa says tanning beds emit far more ultraviolet radiation than the sun. “Tanning devices increase the risk of melanoma, a particular deadly type of cancer,” Wilz said. “UV radiation is the most dangerous when exposed at a young age.”

Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs says Iowa is one of only six states that does not ban or regulate the use of tanning beds by minors. “This is an excellent bill,” Turek said. “…As you’ve heard many times, Iowa (is) the only state with a growing cancer rate, fifth highest rates of melanoma, 1600 new melanomas per year.” Wilz says the bill is one piece of the puzzle to address Iowa’s concerning cancer rate.  “Cancer prevention is just as important as cancer research, medical treatment,” Wilz said. “We need to attack cancer in every way to ensure cancer rates do go down.”

The bill passed on an 83-to-13 vote and goes to the Senate for consideration. According to the National Institutes of Health, using a tanning bed even one time before age 35 raises your risk of developing malignant melanoma by 75 percent.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that would give the governor authority to appoint a majority of the people who serve on commissions that nominate district court judges. Five attorneys chosen by local lawyers and five people appointed by the governor serve on the commissions, and the senior judge in each district serves as chair. Republican Senator Julian Garrett of Indianola says those judges have too much influence and the governor should appoint that 11th member.

“You’ve got five attorneys on the commission and they practice before that judge and their bread and butter is affected by their relationship with that judge,” Garrett says. The commissions review applications and submit two finalists to the governor, who appoints one — or rejects both and tells the commission to start over.

Senator Herman Quirmbach of Ames and other Democrats opposed removing the judge from the nominating process.  “The bill tends to continue the movement in the direction of politicizing the judiciary,” Quirmbach said. “This is something I’m always concerned about, no matter who is in control.”

In 2019, the legislature gave the governor the majority of appointments to the commission that picks nominees for the Iowa Supreme Court by removing the senior Supreme Court justice from the panel — but did not make the change at the district court level. In 2021, members of a northern Iowa nominating commission accused the district court judge leading the panel of making unprofessional comments about some applicants and falsely claiming one applicant had withdrawn.

(Radio Iowa) – Three students who were flown to Sioux City for treatment after a deadly school bus crash in Tanzania nearly eight years ago were honored by conservationist Jane Goodall in a speech Sunday in Sioux City.

Missionaries from Sioux City saved the students, while 35 other people died in the accident. Survivor Wilson Tarimo who returned to Sioux City in 2022 to attend college is now 20. “We have made many people understand how to have humanity, to have love and respect, and to live life worth living,” he says. The three students first met Jane Goodall in Tanzania in 2018, where Goodall started her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees in the 1960s.

Jane Goodall and Tanzanian students. (photo from Sheila Brummer)

Tarimo and the two other Tanzanian students plan to be ambassadors for Goodall’s “Roots and Shoots” program, which focuses on environmental, conservation, and humanitarian issues. The Jane Goodall Institute lost funding due to recent cuts to the U-S Agency for International Development (USAID). Goodall told reporters in Sioux City before her speech that even tough times are tough, “they’ll make it.”

A movie is in the works about the Tanzanian students and their connection to Sioux City.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three arrests:

47-year-old Shayeleigh Marshall Julich Howard, of Glenwood, was arrested last Thursday (March 13) for OWI/1st offense, and Possession or carrying of dangerous weapons. Howard posted a $2,000 bond and was released.

30-year-old Roman Sifuentes, of Glenwood, was arrested last Thursday, for OWI/1st offense, and Driving While Revoked. He posted a $2,000 bond and was released.

And, on March 17th, 70-year-old Richard Lang, of Glenwood, was arrested for Kidnapping in the 3rd Degree,  Felony Domestic Abuse Assault, and Public Intoxication. Lang was being held in the Mills County Jail on $15,000 bond.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a Glenwood man was arrested Sunday evening after Deputies were contacted by a concerned neighbor in regard to a 14 year old boy being abandoned and locked in a mobile home trailer in Glenwood. The parent of the child was identified as 44-year-old Floyd Cozad.

From the ongoing investigation, it was discovered that the child was left alone locked in the residence without food, proper supervision, or the ability to get out of the trailer without assistance. The child was taken into protective custody and in working with the Department of Human Services, the child was transferred to the custody of another family member along
with a second child in Cozad’s custody.

Floyd Cozad (Mills Co S/O photo)

Floyd was arrested Sunday night and charged with violating Iowa Codes:
• 726.3 Neglect of a dependent person – C Felony
• 726.6 Child Endangerment – Aggravated Misdemeanor 2 counts
• 710.7 False Imprisonment – Serious Misdemeanor

Disclaimer: A criminal charge/citation is merely accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill under consideration in the Iowa legislature would expand the pool of people who may serve on county veterans commissions. The commissions help veterans and their dependents apply for the benefits and programs they may be eligible for. Senator Jeff Reichman, of Montour, is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who served two tours in Iraq. He says current law only allows veterans to serve on those county commissions.

“That was O.K. in the ’40s, when about 8% of the entire population of the United States were veterans,” Reichman said, “but now we live in a time where only 1% are veterans.” According to the V-A, nearly half of the state’s 17i-thousand veterans are over the age of 65. The bill would let active Iowa National Guard soldiers and members of the reserve from any branch of the military serve on a county veterans commission. It would also lets more former Iowa Guard and reserve soldiers be appointed to the commissions.

Under current law, county supervisors may only consider those who’ve served at least 20 years in the Iowa National Guard or the reserves. The bill cleared the Iowa Senate unanimously last week and a House subcommittee advanced it today (Monday).

(Radio Iowa) – Collins Aerospace has notified the state that it will lay off 160 employees who work in Cedar Rapids.

Collins Aerospace employs about 9000 people in Iowa, most of whom work in Cedar Rapids. A spokesperson for the company describes the 160 layoffs as “a small reduction of positions” to “reduce costs and optimize the company’s organizational structure globally.” Collins Aerospace is a subsidiary of RTX, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense contractors. It has about 186,000 workers worldwide.

State law requires businesses to notify Iowa Workforce Development at least 60 days before 100 or more employees are being laid off. While Collins Aerospace did notify the state, it did so about a month before the layoffs go into effect. Last week, Collins Aerospace notified employees who were losing their jobs that their layoffs would be effective April 15.